100 Bullets
by Jaina
Summary: Drabbles: fics exactly 100 words long. This fic: full of them. Angst, romance, humor. Pairings: yes. 13 new drabbles.
1. Black

Drabble: a short story containing exactly 100 words not counting title.  
  
This title: stolen from the name of the Trigun drabble livejournal community at http://www.livejournal.com/community/100bullets. Because I am SO UNCREATIVE OMG.  
  
Black  
  
After years of more than one kind of distance, Vash returned in the springtime to visit his godson.  
  
She smiled at him with a mother's pride. The preacher's wife. Years of chasing adventure and him had segued to a calmer life than he'd imagined for her.  
  
He had to be happy for them. There was no place for him. What could he offer either as friend or lover? Neither mentioned Milly. They both knew she would never visit.  
  
Vash ran his hand across the baby's head. "Black hair," he said, for lack of anything else.  
  
Meryl nodded. "Like his father." 


	2. Smooth

Smooth  
  
It goes well until Knives removes his shirt. He pulls the insurance girl to him, hot and desperate in his arms until she jerks away.  
  
He stares, feeling an unexpected sense of betrayal. "Why?"  
  
"I can't do this." The look on Meryl's face is strange; this surprises her too.  
  
"I'm just like him." It was a fair exchange. She would seek pleasure with him, imagining he was someone else; he would have pleasure, stealing from his brother once more.  
  
"But you're not." She reaches out to touch his chest. The pale skin beneath her fingers is smooth. "You're too perfect." 


	3. Consummation

Consummation  
  
It was wrong; they both knew this. Not their feelings for each other, which both had hidden for so long until a single shared glance undid them. It was simply circumstances. There was too much that separated them; he had too many complications in his life to give her the attention she deserve. Besides, she was only supposed to be around him for work.  
  
Still, they came together. Hands caressed, lips whispered and kissed, and all was forgotten but each other.  
  
He whispered to her as she drifted off. "Good night, Karen. I love you."  
  
She smiled. "Same here, Chief." 


	4. NearDeath Experience

Near-Death Experience  
  
"I thought...I thought that I was dead!"  
  
Wolfwood blew smoke at Vash's face. "You're lucky you're not, tongari. That was a close call."  
  
Vash shivered. "It was so awful. The rage, the violence...I've never seen anything like it."  
  
"Not like you didn't deserve it."  
  
"I didn't! I just wanted to spread love and peace, that's all. How could I know it would have such a horrible outcome? I never expected such terrible carnage."  
  
"And what did you learn from this experience?"  
  
"Don't follow you to strip clubs when Meryl's waiting for me in our bed?"  
  
"You got it." 


	5. Sizing Her Up

Sizing Her Up  
  
Vash was whining. "I hate my nickname," he grumped. "'the Stampede'? It makes me sound like a herd of cows."  
  
Meryl rolled her eyes. "At least yours makes you sound like a manly man. Some of us aren't so lucky to have `cool' nicknames."  
  
Vash raised an eyebrow. "Come on. `Derringer Meryl?? Just hearing it, people know not to mess with you."  
  
"I got the derringers later, for practical purposes. The name was for something else."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
She blushed. "Milly's the stungun. I'm the derringer." She pointed to her chest.  
  
Vash pondered this. "You know, I've always liked tiny guns..." 


	6. Taken, Gay or Psychotic

Taken, Gay, or Psychotic  
  
Karen couldn't help but envy Meryl. Her new boyfriend was funny, iextremely/i handsome, and just klutzy enough to be endearing,. Heck, Karen was half-tempted to go after this "Josh" herself. Too bad he was taken.  
  
After dinner, Meryl walked her to her car. "So what do you think of him?"  
  
Karen sighed. "I'm afraid we can't be friends anymore, Meryl."  
  
Meryl blinked. "Why not?"  
  
"I'm just so jealous of you!" Karen pretended to pout.  
  
Meryl laughed. "I'm glad you approve of him."  
  
"Definitely. But I do have one question."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Karen leaned forward, eyes keen. "Does he have a brother?" 


	7. Bleed

Bleed  
  
The house was quiet—too quiet these days. There had been few words between them since what began with love ended in cramps and a bloody stain on the carpet that Vash still couldn't totally scrub out.  
  
Two people united in matrimony. One human, one anything but. Never had it been clearer than that terrible day.  
  
At night, Vash leaned over her huddled form. "I'm sorry." His voice betrayed an anguish that he never showed in daylight. For her sake. "Don't push me away. We can try again."  
  
"No." She put more distance between them. "I'm never doing that again." 


	8. Bound

Bound  
  
"How does that feel?"  
  
Meryl wiggled her wrists experimentally. A gentle clinking sound resulted. Handcuffs had never been her thing, but Vash was generous and talented. That could persuade her to try some new things.  
  
"It's fine. Come here."  
  
Vash grinned and leaned closer but stopped at the sound of his door opening.  
  
"Vash, I need—"Knives stopped dead, staring. The couple on the bed froze in horror.  
  
Knives grinned. "Now that's the right idea, brother. Enslaving humanity one at a time will be slow, but perhaps we can turn the room into a jail cell. Carry on." 


	9. Awakenings

Awakenings  
Things are good now. Knives lies comatose down the hall, which hurts Vash,  
but there are compensations. Meryl has received a promotion at work (desk  
jobs aren't her thing, but for Vash she'll make the sacrifice), Vash is  
still wanted but not dodging bullets daily, and little Alex is almost  
sleeping through the night.  
  
A high-pitched cry drives home the "almost" part and Meryl gets up to feed  
her son. She's in the doorway when her eyes open all the way and she nearly  
drops dead of shock. A tall blonde man stands over her baby, staring at him  
curiously. 


	10. Negotiation

Negotiation  
Vash sighed. "Knives, I really wish you'd stop trying to wreak havoc on  
humanity. It's annoying."  
  
Knives smirked. "Why not? It only makes sense for me to take advantage  
while you're indisposed by that." He pointed to the overly large belly of  
Vash's extremely pregnant wife, who stood in the background. Meryl frowned.  
She wanted to smack Knives, but if she moved, she'd have to go pee. Again.  
  
"Let's work something out here. If you're good, you can..." Vash thought  
hard. "...name the baby?"  
  
"Vash!" Meryl dropped her jaw in horror.  
  
One month later, Zillions Sporks Saverem was born. 


	11. The Dork Knight

The Dork Knight  
  
Vash checked his watch. She was late... or was she? It was awfully hard to see through the rubber mask.  
  
How had Meryl talked him into this? "You need to get out more now that Knives is healing," she'd said. "There's a masquerade party Friday night. Meet me there."  
  
And then she'd picked out... this. A relic of some old earth film that Vash vaguely remembered Rem showing him on the ship.  
  
Vash heard a purr behind him and turned to see a very short Catwoman dressed in tight... black... leather. "Ready to go, Batman?"  
  
The night was looking up. 


	12. Armistice

Armistice  
  
Milly and Vash were at it once again. They'd run for the saloon as if it were a rainforest in the desert.  
  
Meryl sipped her tea. "Why aren't you joining in?" she asked Wolfwood.  
  
"I've been through here before. The whiskey tastes like rancid thomas piss." Wolfwood reached for the peanuts, but was stopped by steely lavender eyes.  
  
"I want you to know that I know how you feel," her eyes flicked to Milly, "But I want you to be careful with her feelings."  
  
Wolfwood glanced at Vash. "I want you to know the same, then."  
  
They understood each other. 


	13. Cruel and Unusual

Cruel and Unusual  
  
Meryl slid her lips along the tines of the fork "Cheesecake..." She slid the tip of her tongue between her lips, catching every spare crumb. "God I just... love cheesecake. It's so decadent. Makes me feel so good..." She loosened the top button of her blouse.  
  
Vash whimpered, his eyes bigger than her dessert plate. She froze and gave him a glare that let him know he would be a smear on the pavement if he interrupted.  
  
She resumed her eating, making sure to accentuate every little sigh. Vash choked.  
  
Meryl giggled. Milly was right; tormenting men was surprisingly easy. 


	14. Denouement

Denouement  
  
"What does it take to break a man?"  
  
The figure—male, female, Meryl didn't know, but immaculately well-groomed regardless—strolled around the room.  
  
"We're going to find out," Elendira continued. Ruby red lips curved in a perfect smile. "Well, I will. You're probably not going to be around." S/he jerked the nail; crimson blood flowed.  
  
Meryl bit her lip until she tasted copper.  
  
"Time for bed. You can keep bleeding." Elendira paused in the doorway. "I've always wanted to know. Maybe you can visit my dreams and tell me."  
  
Hearing remained as Meryl's vision faded.  
  
"Is there a God?" 


	15. Oh, Mr Postman

Oh, Mr. Postman

_I miss you._   
  
Every day, E.G. Mine wrote to his beloved. Every day, he longed for a reply, though it never came. How could it? A fragile pen would snap in his lover's hands.  
  
_I want you._   
  
Theirs was a love fueled by their shared outcast nature, the derision of their peers, their lust to destroy their enemies… and create something beautiful with each other.  
  
_I love you._  
  
E.G. sealed the letter with a kiss. He couldn't even be sure that it would find its way to his beloved, but he had to have faith.  
  
_Until then, Grey the Ninelives._


	16. First Steps

First Steps  
  
Vash took Meryl to the diner for cheeseburgers on their first date. She licked mustard off his chin. He made her laugh until Pepsi came out her nose. They made out like teenagers on the front porch before sneaking inside.  
  
Meryl took him dancing for their second date. The town square was decorated and lined with wireless speakers. Vash stepped on her toes and made use of his two left feet, but made up for it by holding her close during the slow songs.  
  
Milly found them curled together on the porch swing in the morning, but let them sleep. 


	17. His Authoritah

His Authoritah

_"Oh my god! They killed Kenny!"_  
  
Knives seriously considered hobbling out of his bed and clubbing Vash with his crutch. Of all the entertainment to give him while he convalesced, Vash had to choose this.  
  
_"Those bastards!"_   
  
The animation was terrible; the characters looked like squat gnomes. Why had humans brought this drivel from the old world?  
  
Still, he had to admire one character, the one who spoke the pessimistic truth that no one wanted to hear; the one who held domination over his home and his pet.  
  
_"Screw you guys, I'm going home."_   
  
Yes, this Cartman was less inferior.


	18. Legacy

Legacy  
  
Rem gazed at the twins in wonder. A scientific vessel wasn't the place for infants, but this exception was worth it.  
  
Alex had wanted children. "The right woman has to meet the right man at the right time to bring the right cells together to create a new, perfect life," he'd said. "Add those things together and it's an astronomical coincidence that we keep going at all." He'd smiled, his nose crinkling before he kissed her. "Life finds a way."  
  
But not for him.  
  
She'd teach them the things Alex loved—science, the moody blues, friendship.  
  
And they'd carry on. 


	19. She'll Feel This in the Morning

She'll Feel This in the Morning  
  
Meryl stumbles out of the bar, a little drunk—in the same way she's a little short. It's been a bitter evening.  
  
All the following, the worrying, the waiting. It doesn't make a difference, and that's the cold truth she has to face. She's all out of faith.  
  
She falls through the front door into someone's arms. One is false.  
  
"Meryl? What's wrong?"  
  
Alcohol removes self-control. "Why can't you love me?"  
  
A swift intake of breath. She's passed out in his arms; he can't answer.  
  
Gently, he carries her to bed. They'll have a long talk in the morning. 


	20. One Night

One Night  
  
Knives wondered if this was a betrayal that Vash could not forgive. Not that a rampage of destruction was better, but this was more...personal.  
  
But that was the point.  
  
Knives rolled out of the silk sheets, sneering at the dark-haired girl who was still asleep. Her tousled hair and the bite marks on her neck, tinged here and there with blood, gave her a ravished appearance. His disgust was not lessened because he was the one who'd ravished her.  
  
Knives strolled to the bathroom for a drink of water. No use dwelling on her.  
  
She was beneath him. 


	21. Ship's Not Sinking

Ship's Not Sinking

The key word to describe the time since their breakup and Meryl's announcement of her pregnancy was awkward. Four months had passed, though, and though Vash's heart still ached, he soothed the pain by buying many baby books. Until she told him to stop.

"I can't do this anymore," Meryl said once more. "We'll both be parents, but right now the baby is in me—and I can't see you every day when I'm trying to get over you."

She closed the door in his face. Vash wanted to stop her, if only he had any idea what to say.


	22. Snips, Snails, and Puppydog Tails

Snips, Snails, and Puppydog Tails

The only reason Wolfwood knew he'd had a mother was the sheer anatomical possibility of it being otherwise. His lessons had included gunsmoke and bullets over books and arithmetic. Hardly a normal childhood, but Wolfwood didn't mind. He'd survived in a world where many children didn't.

Still, there were times when he wondered what she'd been like, if he resembled her, if his life would have been happier if he knew her. No man could live without asking "what if" once.

But in the end, he always concluded that it was better this way. He'd only have broken her heart.


	23. Family Resemblance

Family Resemblance  
  
Whereas her father had always been haunted by the longevity of their kind, Millicent Saverem quite enjoyed it. She could travel the world a hundred times over a hundred years and always see something new. They made quite a striking pair— a tall, spiky blonde with a petite brunette. They looked more like a couple than parent and child, which had led to some embarrassing assumptions in the past.  
  
One time, years ago, Vash had stared at Millicent with a faraway look and then started crying. Confused, she had asked him why.  
  
"You look just like your mother," he'd sobbed.


	24. Illicit Actions

Illicit Actions

Vash couldn't believe his eyes. Meryl and Knives wouldn't meet them. They stood together, far too close for Vash's comfort, and fidgeted.

"It was a mistake," Meryl said at last. "I see that, now that you're back. We shouldn't have done it."

"We didn't mean for it to happen, but it seemed right," said Knives. "After all, we thought you were dead."

Vash just glared in disbelief and hurt. "I just don't understand. How could you?"

"You're being childish," Knives snorted. "Honestly, Vash, we just turned your room into a library. It's not like we can't buy a new dresser."


	25. Love

Love

Vash was amazed and overjoyed. Meryl was skeptical but eventually had to admit the truth. Milly just smiled and said she knew it would work all along.

She had healed Knives. Not completely— there were still open wounds on his soul that would only become scars in time. But the anger was nearly gone, and when he was with her, he seemed to smile more.

Milly had gotten them together. She'd watched and seen that each had a need the other could fill.

Who'd have ever thought that the heart of a madman could be healed by a stray kitten?


	26. After Life

After Life

A Discworld Crossover

Legato opened his eyes and was immediately confused— first, that he had a face left at all, and second, that there was a _here_ in which to open his eyes.

"Have I failed my master...?" he murmured.

NO.

Legato turned at the voice.

LEGATO BLUESUMMERS?

"Yes?"

THIS WAS YOUR LIFE.

Legato blinked and saw a sea of angry, familiar people. For the first time ever, Legato felt afraid.

"But I don't understand. It was supposed to be the void. I don't believe in an afterlife."

IT BELIEVES IN YOU.

Death scratched a small black cat as the crowd moved in.


	27. So Mature

So Mature

Vash made a point of having breakfast with his brother. Knives was so unhappy with their living situation that it was only fair to set aside some time for just them.

"You need to get rid of the girls," Knives groused.

Vash sighed. "So you keep saying."

"It's true. They're human; they'll do awful things sooner or later."

"Name one."

"They'll put laxatives in your donuts."

Vash barked a laugh. "Why would you say—" He stopped laughing, eyes growing wide. Knives looked innocent as Vash stared at his half-eaten donut.

Knives was banned from the kitchen after that.


End file.
